I found this a little interesting. In 08-09, Carmelo Anthony had the 10th-most popular jersey in China. But last season, when Melo started his first NBA All-Star Game and made second-team All-NBA, his jersey didn’t even crack the top-10 in China, seen in rankings released today by the league (to be fair, they only gave the top-10, so it’s very possible he could be, say, 11th).

But the fact that Melo didn’t climb up the list is a commentary on his popularity in China, where, during the 2008 Olympics they gleefully called him “Tian Gua” for “Sweet Melon.” If you recall, Melo went to China this summer to film a movie and he has expressed, through his agents, some interest in playing for Houston, the extremely popular team in China, because of Chase Budinger (and Yao Ming).

The NBA merchandise is sold in 30,000 retail locations in China. And the NBA opened an NBA Store at the Shanghai World Expo Culture Center in May.

Also, if you didn’t hear, all the NBA teams are wearing new “adidas NBA Revolution 30” uniforms, which, as explained in the league’s press release, “are 30 percent lighter and dry twice as fast as previous NBA uniforms.”

The Nuggets played a preseason game in China last October, and this October, the Rockets and Nets are playing there (so, who knows, maybe Melo will return to China in October).